My friend CJ, who is an “old soul”, read my essay about Jesus and His disciples and commented that the most difficult aspect of “Peace! Be still!” was the “be” part. I chewed on this comment all week, and want to spit out some additional thoughts on the subject.
The ability to just “be” is something children have all over adults. All summer I have been scanning my parent’s slides from the 1950s and 1960s and have much photographic evidence of happy children just “being.” How fortunate my brother and I were to be raised in that home, and to enjoy an ordinary childhood with two parents, a smelly dog, summer vacations, reading, love, and laughter.
Part of adult life is inevitable change and loss and sorrow, and dealing with the extra-ordinary.
My little red wagon of troubles as an adult is small compared to many with a covered Conestoga load. Yet I am sometimes plagued with fears about the future because of my little woes, and find it awfully difficult to just “be” in the moment.
This summer the State Highway near our home is being widened. Our subdivision has two access points and both of them are closed, requiring us to take a circuitous 4-mile journey on hilly, narrow county roads to get out. The detour adds 15 minutes going anywhere, even to the Marathon station that is a quarter of a mile away as the crow flies.
This ongoing construction is a metaphor for my life right now. There may be a smoother road out there. Now in my journey I’m driving over rocks and bumps. To get to the better road, I have no choice but to deal with the potholes and boulders. And I need to learn just to “be” and let it go – leaning on the horn and screaming does absolutely no good in getting to my destination. Quoth the raven.
